“Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength.”

–Betty Friedan

Oprah said, “I am grateful for every age I get to become,” I say aging is really an opportunity to become more and more of our authentic selves with each day that passes.

The older I grow, the more deeply I understand what really matters in life, with this awareness, I step into a magical and powerful place of more acceptance, knowingness, and authenticity.  It is a peaceful feeling to accept aging and not try to run away or hide from it.

Why accept aging? Well, for one, my friend, it is inevitable! Two, embracing the aging processes allows us to live in the healthiest, and happiest way possible.

With that, I’d like to offer you the eight habits that have helped me embrace growing older and live my most vital, fun life:

1) The most important of all: Choose your thoughts wisely!

This journey begins with an inside job. Like all big changes, we have to start internally before we see external results, whether that’s reducing fine lines or increasing happiness.

In my day to day life, I consciously choose to think good thoughts and be loving and accepting of myself and others. I think that negative self-talk can be one of the most destructive habits that people get into and sometimes don’t even realize they are doing it. Be kind to yourself or nobody else will.

Though becoming aware of your thoughts takes time, it is the most important thing you’ll ever do.

2) Exercise: Move the body every day, and mix it up!

Stretch, lift weights, do yoga or get outside with friends. Create a daily exercising habit that you enjoy and will stick with. My dogs are big motivators for me to get outside and walk on a regular basis.

Want some DeeAnn Bonus Points?! If you aren’t already sweating in your physical routine. add in a trip to the Sauna or even better, check out an Infrared Sauna. Adding this sweat time to your weekly routine will help to further detox your body.

3) Take Supplements to support your lifestyle

For a radiant and bright complexion, and to decrease sagging or dried skin, I suggest grass-fed organic Collagen and natural Hyaluronic Acid your morning smoothie or green drink. (P.S. Drink green smoothies!)

I also suggest a regular routine of:

• B Vitamins
• Vitamin C, E, and D
• Turmeric
• And the occasional use of medicinal mushrooms

4) Eat an anti-inflammatory diet

Inflammation can break down collagen and elastin, which are essential enzymes in youthful skin. It’s vital, therefore, to eat at least five whole plant-based foods each day.. Starting the day with either a green drink or berry smoothie, as we talked about in the previous tip, helps me get at least 3 of these in right off the bat.

Other helpful tips:

• Reduce sugar – try black coffee, or 70% dark chocolate, for example.
• Eat healthy lean protein, like adding grilled chicken or salmon to your veggies at dinner.

Intermittent Fasting is also very helpful to balance blood sugars and reduce excess weight. This can be as simple as no food 12- 16 hours between dinner and breakfast. I try to eat dinner by 6 so that I can do my green drink or smoothie by 8 the next morning.

5) Avoid Sun Damage 

Always use natural sun-blocking minerals, like Zinc and titanium and wear protective clothing and sunglasses. When searching for the perfect sunscreen, avoid harmful chemicals, like UV Blockers. Many chemical UV blockers (octocrylene, octyl methoxycinnamate, or benzophenone) are linked to infertility issues and are much less effective than their packaging promises.

6) Sleep! 7-9 hours a night

I sleep so much better when I don’t look at my phone or computer for 2 hours before bed. Sometimes I forget (we’re all human) or I  have to respond to an email or text, but for the most part, I stick with routine this because of how much better I sleep when I remove blue light (think: TV, phones, computers, tablets) from my eyes before bed. I also suggest taking magnesium about one hour before bed to help with restful sleep.

7) Meditate or create a way to deal with stress.

Whether you enjoy sitting still for twenty minutes embracing the silence, or running off a day’s hard work. I strongly encourage you to find an outlet to remove the toxic chemicals that wreak havoc on our bodies when we don’t eliminate stress.

Though we may never completely remove cortisol or stress hormones from our day to day life, reducing your stress, even small amounts goes a long way.

8) Use all-natural, chemical-free skincare

There are unlimited products and skin-care routines you can use to increase vitality and bounce in your skin… but I suggest you focus on the core three:

• Exfoliate: This process sloughs off dead skin cells and encourages cell regeneration.
• Moisturize: Daily hydration of your skin reduces the dryness of aging skin and keeps a youthful glow, no matter what age you are today.
• Vitamin C: Not only great for immunity, but Vitamin C also helps support your skin health and coloring.

I hope you’ve found these eight tips helpful. Of course, I also want to encourage you to laugh often, connect with your friends and community and as always, drink more water than you think you need. And, have some fun already!